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7 Ways to Shred Body-Fat in 7 Days

Admire those ridiculously ripped guys from The Expendables? Here’s a secret that’ll come as both a relief and a letdown: Physiques like those of Stallone and crew have the life expectancy of a mayfly—a day or two after the shoot.

We’re not saying it’s CGI or Photoshop that’s responsible for creating these onscreen bodies. Rather, it’s a secret, weeklong get-shredded strategy that separates people who make their living with their bodies from guys like us who just want to eat popcorn and watch them dodge bullets. The movie stars, the underwear models, the pro bodybuilders—they don’t look like that all the time. They can’t. But when it’s go time, they’re ready with Hollywood’s biggest get-shredded secret.

Thing is, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be in on the secret, too. Whether you’re planning a last-minute vacation, or auditioning for latest action movie there’s a method you can follow to get as lean and hard as possible, so your muscles look like they’ve been shrink-wrapped by your skin. Follow these seven steps to get “the body” for your big moment.

You should already be following a diet to get lean, and should therefore be aware of how much you’re eating. But to remove any guesswork, we’ll give you some numbers to hit for the week: Consume one gram of protein and 10–11 calories for every pound of your body weight; 20% of those daily calories should be from fat, and the remainder from carbs. (Remember to first subtract the protein calories you’re also eating from the total allowed before you calculate the number of carbs.) For example, a 200-pound guy following this program would consume 200 grams of protein per day, and eat 2,000–2,200 calories—that’s approximately 420 calories (about 50 grams) from fat, and 880 calories (220 grams) from carbs. Your protein and fat intake will stay relatively constant, but your carbs can be raised or lowered as needed (see Step 5). So, if you’re taking your shirt off on Saturday, begin following this protocol the Saturday prior.